My memories of pancakes are fond and not just because they’re a Saturday morning tradition. While nearly effortless to make, big, fat fluffy pancakes make any meal feel much more special, no matter what the day nor time. You agree?
Okay good — glad we’re on the same page.
These whole wheat banana bread pancakes remind me of my favorite banana bread, a baked good that I make at least once per week. I perfected them almost 5 years ago when I wanted to transform my favorite bread into a healthy, nutritious and comforting breakfast for you to nosh on whenever deemed necessary. After a few different versions of the recipe, this one was perfect in every way.
If you like my blender banana oatmeal pancakes, these will be right up your alley. They’re great for kiddos and so easy to make. Nothing wrong with a little banana bread pancake love for dinner either. We do it once a week in our home — with eggs and a side of turkey bacon.
Oh and just like any other banana bread, I highly recommend these with a healthy tablespoon of your favorite nut butter or some chopped nuts folded into the batter, perhaps. It really doesn’t get any better.
Everything you’ll need to make banana bread pancakes
These whole grain banana pancakes are filled with nourishing ingredients (hello, hearty whole grains) and have the best, fluffy texture. They’re dairy free and extra special with melty chocolate chips in every bite. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Whole wheat pastry flour: we’re packing in some whole grains by using whole wheat pastry flour. This flour makes pancakes extra fluffy and delicious.
- Bananas: for that amazing banana bread flavor, of course! Be sure to use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots to give the pancakes their natural sweetness.
- Egg: you’ll need one egg in this pancake recipe.
- Spices: gotta have a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg and salt for that cozy flavor.
- Almond milk: I like to use unsweetened almond milk, but feel free to use any milk you’d like so that the pancakes have the right amount of moisture.
- Baking staples: you’ll also need baking powder and vanilla extract.
- Chocolate chips: these are optional, but what’s life without chocolate chip pancakes? Feel free to use dairy free chocolate chips, too.
Can I make them gluten free?
I haven’t tested these whole wheat banana pancakes with a gluten free alternative, but you could try using a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour. Otherwise, try one of these gluten free pancake options:
- Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- The Best Almond Flour Pancakes
- Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes
- Or check out all of our healthy pancakes recipe here!
How to make healthy banana bread pancakes
- Whisk the dry. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, spices and baking powder.
- Mix the wet. In a separate bowl mix together all of the wet ingredients.
- Make the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. If the batter looks too thick simply add a little more milk.
- Cook, flip & serve. Add 1/4 cup of batter at a time to your griddle, cook and flip your banana bread pancakes. See below for all of my best tips & tricks!
A few key tips for fluffy banana bread pancakes
- If you want thinner pancakes, feel free to add a tablespoon or two more of milk.
- Be sure not to over mix the batter as the pancakes could become gummy.
- Cook your banana bread pancakes over medium heat so that they cook evenly. If you flip your pancakes and they appear to be cooking too fast, simply to reduce the temp to medium-low so that they don’t burn. Get all of my tips & tricks (plus a video) on how to make the best pancakes here!
Make them ahead of time
Yes, you can make these whole grain banana pancakes ahead of time and keep them warm in the oven! Simply place oven at 200 degrees F, then add pancakes to a baking sheet or oven-safe plate and place in the oven until ready to serve.
Freeze them for later
If you want to make your banana bread pancakes ahead of time and serve them at a later date, you can place the pancakes on a baking sheet so they aren’t touching and place in the freezer for 30 minutes, then place them in freezer safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, simply add pancakes to a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm.
More pancake recipes you’ll love
- Change Your Life Salted Brown Butter Pancakes
- Sidney’s 4-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- Fluffy Yogurt Pancakes (high protein, gluten free)
- Carrot Cake Pancakes (gluten free + dairy free!)
- Fluffy Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread Pancakes
Get all of our amazing pancake recipes here!
I hope you love these banana bread pancakes! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Whole Wheat Banana Bread Pancakes with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup mashed banana)
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, plus more if necessary
- Optional
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, combine mashed banana, egg, vanilla and almond milk until smooth and well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. If the batter looks too thick add just a splash more milk.
- Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with coconut oil or butter and place over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto skillet and spread out a bit with a spoon. Immediately add 5-7 chocolate chips to each pancake batter if using.
- Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes.
- Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more coconut oil (or butter) and remaining batter. You may need to reduce the heat after the second batch to prevent burning. Serves 4, 2 pancakes each.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Photography by: Sarah Fennel
89 comments
OMG! These look freaking amazing. Totally going to make them this weekend!
Would these work with almond flour, or another gluten free flour?
Do you think this recipe would work in a waffle iron? My 5 year old daughter recently had the flu and ended up getting sick on pancakes, so now she is turned off by all pancakes. However, if I make them look like waffles, she will eat them.
THESE RE SO GOOD OMG.
I am not dairy free in my diet and even though I do not drink a glass of milk I use it in my coffee. I have not been able to find any non dairy milk that tastes good in it yet. I would like to know if I cold freeze nut milks in small batches and use it in my baking for your recipes? Love every thing I have every made from your site and look forward to so many more delicious dishes.
Oh my these look divine! I am training for a marathon and these would be so yummy after my post-long run Sundays! Do you think the WW flour can be replaced with oat flour to make gluten free?
whoa, these look so fluffy even with banana and whole wheat flour! and i love the banana bread descriptor that you tacked on to the name (:
Totally crushing on these pancakes that taste like my favorite quick bread! SO FLUFFY!
Wow.. That’s really amazing. Its watering my mouth just by seeing images. Thanks for sharing this with us.
I’ve seen some people bake pancake mixes in muffin tins to make pancake muffins – would this recipe work for that? I’ve always been curious to try it but feel like it would have a totally different texture
Made these today for brekkie and they were so yum! 😊
Made these for breakfast this morning and they turned out perfect! I may or may not have eaten the entire batch🙊😉
Mmm! Just made these with gluten free flour– works perfectly! For anyone wondering, I halved the recipe and since I still used 1 egg, I used 1/2 cup AP GF flour (from trader joes) plus around 1/4 c almond meal. SO delicious!!!
I just devoured these pancakes!!!!! Just delightful! Feeling completely satisfied:)))))
This looks so good.
Oh my these look amazing!!! My little guy loves any kind of pancake!
making them now! ate the first one, and i’m hooked.
thanks for a great recipe!
New family favourite!
HI
These whole wheat flour pancakes rock. I added some molasses Raisins ginger (no chocolate chips) wow.delicous.
Second batch I used applesauce instead of banana. Yeah super yummy.. I eat 8 of these before I go for my bike ride.lots of energy.
It’s cool to see the athlean-x products on your site that’s a good sign.
Thanks
I made these the other morning and boy were they delicious. I used regular milk instead of almond Milk. As I poured them into the pan i suddenly realized that this recipe didn’t call for any sugar! No need, they are delicious with the sweetness from the banana and the chocolate chips. Divine!
Made these last night and reheated for my son’s breakfast; he loved them. I second Kelsey’s comments above: used regular milk and realized “no sugar” as I began to cook them. But didn’t need any added sugar at all! Thanks.
Awesome! So glad they were a hit with your son!
I’m about to make these today! These pancakes look so delicious and I have 2 bananas I was wondering what to do with. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Amazing! I hope you enjoyed these, Natalie 🙂
Just made. Used blueberries instead of chocolate chips. They were good. Going to freeze the ones left and see what happens! Have u frozen before?
Delicious! I haven’t frozen these before, but I think it should work well!
I tried it with coconut flour.. didn’t work well haha 🙁
Oh no! Cooking and baking with flour is pretty specific, try these next time!
Ummm yum!! I’m making these for tomorrow for sure! I’m collecting a Bunch of your recipes already! I’m obsessed! Yay!
Amazing!! Hope you loved these 🙂
You said it’s dairy free but there’s eggs in the recipe. Any replacement?
Eggs aren’t dairy…dairy comes from cows.
Hope that helps.
Made these pancakes for breakfast this morning. They were so flavorful, fluffy, and delicious!! Thanks for posting 🙂
YUM! Best breakfast 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
SO good!!!
YES my fav!!
Oh my yum! Congratulations on creating the first healthy banana pancake recipe that has perfect fluffy texture! I’ve always liked the idea of pancakes packed with bananas, and made with whole wheat flour, but experienced endless failures in the texture department (so many mushy/gummy pancakes). I had pretty much given up on the whole concept! I leave out the chocolate chips, and use regular whole wheat flour. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks Sara! I’m glad you found this recipe 🙂 It’s my go-to for banana pancakes!
Oh my WOW. These pancakes were the BOMB!
So glad you loved them! One of my all time favs.
Am I eating pancakes or banana bread? Who cares, this recipe is delicious!
Definitely hands down the BEST and easiest pancake recipe. We always have a stash in our freezer, truly make them nearly every 2 weeks! Our little guys eat them at least 3x a week – we add blueberries instead of choc chips and slap some PB on top 👏🏻
Amazing! So happy these are a hit with the whole family 🙂
So easy and delicious!
Glad you enjoyed!
I absolutely loved these pancakes! I have made a batch and added chopped walnuts to the batter and I’ve also made them another time with chopped pecans. I do skip the chocolate chips though. I topped them with maple butter, whipped cream, and syrup. I felt like, yep this is banana bread but in pancake form. I loved that it used whole wheat flour too. Definitely a repeat recipe for sure. So thick and fluffy too. Highly recommend! 10/10.
Sounds absolutely delicious! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I loved the addition of nutmeg, it really made these pancakes extra special. Although I never was a fan of pancakes before, this recipe completely changed it for me. Love it!
So happy to hear that! The nutmeg makes the flavor extra cozy.
I’ve made these every Sunday for the last month! They come out perfect every time. When I don’t have chocolate chips, I’ll throw in blueberries or some finally chopped nuts
Love that! Great idea to add blueberries.
I substituted the whole wheat flower for a mix of white & coconut flour (just what I had in the pantry) and it turned out incredible. I also doubled the spices, overall very good. Ate it with a fried egg on top.
I’m glad that worked out well! Perfect breakfast 🙂
I make these often and they always turn out perfectly! They are great if you have any ripe bananas lying around.
Love thèse! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. Very good with a little syrup or peanut butter on top
The best! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I love everything from AK and this recipe is no exception!!! These are the fluffiest, softest pancakes I’ve ever had. I used regular flour and they came out perfect! 🙂
So happy to hear that!
These are on rotation in our house! We made them for family too and they were a huge hit. We use Fairlife milk and either dark chocolate chips or mini semi-sweet ones; whatever we have! I love making a double batch and eating them all week for breakfast.
Perfect! So happy to hear that.
Delicious! I didn’t that’s pastry flour, so I combined AP and regular whole wheat and it worked well!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Super easy and YUMMY! My husband loved them.
So happy to hear that!
I love this recipe! I make it at least once a week. I usually use blueberries instead of chocolate chips and they always taste great. I also don’t have nutmeg and use skim milk rather than almond milk, but they still come out amazing! Super healthy and light but filling enough because of the whole wheat flour.
I loveee this recipe, I go between these pancakes and the Healthy Oatmeal Banana Pancakes, depending on what ingredients I have on hand. I LOVE how fluffy these are and the banana adds so much flavor.
This were so easy and full of flavor without added sugar. The whole wheat sweetness was present but not heavy. A nice hearty, healthy breakfast.
Just made these. Delish!!!!! I love when your recipes are simple! I used vanilla oat milk. So fluffy and I have to walk away now so I don’t eat the whole plate and save some for my son 😂
Hahaha I know, hard to not eat them all!! I’m so happy you loved them 🙂
So good and super simple to make! Perfect for a light meal or easy snack
So happy you’re enjoying these!
I made this for breakfast today and they turned out great! I’ve tried other banana-based pancakes and found them to be a weird consistency without any flour. The addition of wheat flour plus the cinnamon and nutmeg really makes this recipe great! I did add a little extra milk to thin them out a bit.
Delish! I used regular cows milk.. and a splash more then what it called for and they turned out great. Fluffy and that banana bread taste 🙂
So happy you enjoyed them!
These are delicious and light! Easy to whip up in the morning as well. Will definitely make again— stored a few in the fridge to warm for later .
So glad you guys are loving them!
These were delicious! 2 bananas ended up being 3/4 cup and it was just the right amount! Substituted almond milk for 2% milk and batter was perfect.
I love these wholewheat banana pancakes. Recently I made some of them using my 3 burner gas stove and they tasted awesome. Thanks for sharing the lovely recipe.
These taste like warm banana bread. So amazing. I’m upset I haven’t made them sooner!
These are amazing! Taste like warm banana bread! I’m upset I haven’t made them sooner.
Glad you tried and loved them, Kirsten! Can’t wait for you to make them again 🙂
These were really good! I added a few chocolate chips and served mine with a little bit of peanut butter and maple syrup on top 🙂
This is my GO-TO pancake recipe. Simple, quick and light on the flour. I add an extra banana in for an even more moist and fluffy final result! Truly in love.
I’m so glad you love these, Simone! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Literally my favorite pancake recipe! I have substituted with GF 1:1 flour and it has turned out great.
Perfect pancake recipe. Been searching for YEARS for the perfect, more healthy banana pancake recipe. My boys and I gobbled these up and were amazed by the fluffiness and flavor. Only edit I made was to use half all purpose flour instead of all whole wheat flour. But honestly that was due to my paranoia of having dense pancakes with other whole wheat recipes in the past. Also added walnuts–yummm!
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
These are delicious! I’m on an anti-inflammatory diet and am always searching for tasty no-added-sugar recipes. These were a hit with my kids, too, who can be hard to win over.
Perfect! So happy to hear that!